Written by Melissa Joens
Hendrix administration is fairly lenient when it comes to alcohol. Official policy is that alcoholic beverages must be kept in unlabeled containers (the infamous "red cups"), outside of dorms, and away from the underage. The real policy is: don’t be stupid. Don’t start a wild party with clearly-labeled booze available to anybody who happens to walk by. Keep it quiet, and you can drink all you want. This is partially balanced by Hendrix’s placement in a dry county—getting access to alcoholic beverages is difficult, so the treatment of those with them is fairly lax. The usual “punishment” for somebody who flaunts his or her alcohol near an RA or other official is having to pour it out, with some offenders sentenced to community service. Drugs, too, are treated much more passively than official policy would claim, with a fair amount of students consuming illicit drugs behind closed doors or in tucked-away spots outside, with only the heavy-duty drug dealers punished for their actions.
This leniency applies to other aspects of Hendrix policy, as well. Cheating, vandalism, and other serious concerns are treated strictly by the administration, but for more minor violations, things often fall back to the unstated policy of “Don’t be stupid.” While quiet hours are in place for all the dorms, the RAs only reprimand the truly egregious violators, and the students are usually just told to quiet down. This leniency goes even further during major events on campus. However, the lack of enforcement for minor rule violations goes both ways. One common irritation is when students pull the dorm fire alarms at night, and officials rarely search for the offenders in question.